Fastening device for an inserting element that can be inserted into an insertion opening of a base plate

ABSTRACT

A fastening device for an inserting element that can be inserted into an inserting opening of a base plate. The inserting element can be fastened to the base plate by at least one holding device. The holding device has a basic component ( 9 ) that can be firmly fixed to the inserting element and a hinged component designed as a U-shaped bracket. A bar of the U-shaped bracket near an upper side plate has a guide end directed toward the swivel axis of the U-shaped bracket which can mesh with flat locking grooves on the basic component. The locking grooves are arranged such that the holding device can be locked in its operating position and also in an inserting position that is swiveled from this operating position by 90°.

The invention concerns a fastening mechanism for an insertion element that can be inserted into an insertion opening of a base plate and lies with its edge supported on the surface of the base plate. The insertion element can be fastened to the base plate by at least one holding device. The holding device has a basic component that can be affixed firmly to the insertion element. The holding device also has a part that is hinged to this basic component and can be placed on the lower side of the base plate. The hinged component is designed as a U-shaped bracket, whose two sidepieces are penetrated by a screw and whose upper sidepiece is also connected to the basic component by the screw. The lower sidepiece bears, at least on one side, an attachment that is designed as an arm underlapping the edge.

In the known fastening devices of this type the section of the basic component on which the upper side piece of the U-shaped bracket is hinged, has a relatively solid and compact design in order to have deep grooves that allow the bar to swivel around the axis of the screw by an angle of 90° and at the same time to serve as the stops for restricting this swiveling. In spite of this complicated design it is not possible to lock the bar either in its operating position in which the arm underlaps the edge of the insertion opening, or even in its swiveled rest position or inserting position. This complicates the process of attaching this device to the insertion element.

The task underlying the present invention is to create a holding device for the afore-mentioned fastening equipment that eliminates the disadvantages of the known holding devices.

For solving this task, the present invention suggests a fastening equipment characterized in that the center part or bar of the U-shaped bracket of the hinged component of a holding device has an attachment directed toward he swivel axis of the U-shaped bracket. The attachment is located close to the upper side piece of the U-shaped bracket and can mesh with the flat locking grooves on the base plate that are arranged such that the holding device can be locked in its operating position and also in a position that is swiveled out from this operating position by an angle of 90°.

The invention is explained below in more detail with reference to the attached illustrations.

FIG. 1 illustrates the side view of a holding device in accordance with the invention in its operating position for fastening an insertion hollow into a recess of a base plate;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the holding device illustrated in FIG. 1. However FIG. 2 illustrates the holding device in its inserting position, which is swiveled out from the fastening position by 90°.

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of a holding device in accordance with the invention in its inserting position.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the holding device illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the holding device in accordance with FIG. 5.

The reference symbols 1, 2 and 3 in the FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate a base plate, an inserting component that lies with its edge supported on the base plate and a holding device in accordance with the invention for fastening the inserting component to the base plate. The insertion opening in the base plate 1 in which the inserting component is inserted is indicated by the reference number 4.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective illustrations of the holding device of FIG. 3 in its operating position and/or inserting position. The device 3 is located in the relatively narrow space 5 between the front surface 6 of the inserting opening 4 and the opposite outer surface 7 of the inserting component 2 that projects downward through the opening 3.

The holding device 3 has a base plate 9 that can be fastened to a bar 10 that sticks out from the inserting component 2 downward into the inserting space 5 of the device. The holding device also has a component 12 that is shaped as a U-shaped bracket and is hinged to the base plate 9 such that it can swivel. The lower sidepiece of this component 12 is extended by an arm 15 that protrudes over the bar 14 of the U-shaped bracket and bears on its free end on each side a claw 16. An attachment 17 is joined to the free end of the lower sidepiece that is directed upward and outward in a slant. The attachment 17 also has claws on its free end and if necessary, can even serve as a fastening element. The arm 15 is bent twice close to the sidepiece of the U-shaped bracket such that the section carrying the claws 16 is displaced essentially downward and parallel to the section sticking out from the bar 14.

The U-shaped bracket 12 is hinged by its upper side pieces 20 by means of an adjusting screw 22 on the base plate 9 that penetrates through the two side pieces 13 and 20, such that it can swivel in a parallel direction. The screw 22 bears on its lower part that penetrates through the lower side piece 13 of the U-shaped bracket 12 a head 23, that e.g. is designed as a hexagon screw and can be turned with the help of an appropriate tool. The other upper end 24 of the adjusting screw 22 that penetrates the upper sidepiece 20 upward is expanded in order to prevent the screw from falling through downward.

The base plate 9 that on the one side can be fastened to the fastening bar 10 of the inserting component and is hinged to the other side of the U-shaped bracket 12, is made from a flat metallic small plate by means of die-cutting and bending. It has a vertical base section 26 that runs essentially parallel to the bar 14 of the U-shaped bracket 12. On its lower edge it has a flap-shaped section 27 that is bent by an angle of 90° and has at its center a recess 28 that is provided with a thread. The thread of this recess 28 corresponds to the thread of the screw 22 such that the screw can be adjusted axially by turning it. Since the U-shaped bracket can slide freely in the axial direction along the screw, the U-shaped bracket can be adjusted upward by turning in the screw in such a way that the lower side piece lies supported on the inner surface of the screw head 23. While turning out the screw the U-shaped bracket slides by itself downward or is taken along by the expanded end 24.

The base section 26 of the base plate has on each side an arm 30 that is cut out from the base section 26 and that stretches upward and parallel to the edge of the base section. The arm 30 is displaced by its double bending from the plane of the base section. The arm 30 essentially stretches parallel to the base section 26. The free end 31 of each arm is easily bent outward in a slant. The remaining middle part 32 of the base section 26 has close to its upper horizontal edge a hook 33 that is formed by die-cutting and bending. This hook 33 sticks out in the direction of the side-arms 30. The horizontal upper edge 34 of the center part is easily bent outward in the direction that is opposite to the free ends 31 of the arm.

As can be seen particularly in the FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the described design of the base plate 7 allows it to be fastened to the fastening bar 10 of the inserting component 2. For the purpose of fastening the holding device 3 to the bar 10, the base plate of the bar slides on this bar such that it comes to rest between the arms 30 and the center part 32 of the base plate. The base plate slides far upward on the bar until its hook 33 engages into a corresponding recess 35 in the bar 10.

Due to the above-described structural design of the holding device 3, the moving component 12 designed as a U-shaped bracket can swivel around the axis of the adjusting screw 22 between the operating position illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the arm 15 underlaps the edge of the inserting opening and the inserting position illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the arm is aligned essentially parallel to the front surface 6 of the inserting opening.

In accordance with an essential characteristic of the invention, the flap 27 sticking out in a vertical direction from the base section of the base plate 7 is narrower than the base section, and is arranged in the center of the horizontal lower edge such that the zones of the base section remaining on both sides of the flap can serve if necessary, as lateral stops for the U-shaped bracket 12 if it swivels into a position that is transverse to the base plate. The breadth of the flap 27 on which the upper sidepiece 20 of the U-shaped bracket 12 is hinged can be made relatively small. However it must be broad enough to ensure that the recess 28 can be designed as a threaded hole for the adjusting screw 22.

In accordance with another essential characteristic of the invention, the holding device in accordance with the present invention is equipped with means that enable it to lock its swiveling component 12 both in its operating position as well as in its inserting position. For this purpose, a guide 36 is cut out from the bar 14 of the U-shaped bracket. The guide 36 points in the direction of the bar and is bent out sideways from the plane of the bar. The free end 37 of the guide can mesh with three grooves on the periphery of the hinged flap 27, namely of a central groove 38 that is located in the front section of the periphery of the guide and two lateral grooves 39, 40 i.e. that are located to the right and left of the central groove. As a result of the elasticity of the guide 36 and the small depth of the grooves, a locking effect is indeed ensured but it is also possible to release the guide end 37 by exerting a corresponding lateral pressure on the attachment 17 or the arm 15 of the U-shaped bracket 12.

For the purpose of increasing the rigidity of the attachment 17 and the arm 15, stiffening ribs 41 are molded in both of them as illustrated in the FIGS. 3 and 5.

As can be seen from the above description and illustrations, the holding device in accordance with the invention is characterized by its simple and material-saving design, despite which, it enables a locking of the swiveling components in its operating position and its inserting position. The two components of the holding device can be manufactured from metal or any other suitable material. The possibility of blocking or locking the swiveling component in its inserting position facilitates the attachment of the device to the inserting component. For the purpose of insertion, the U-shaped bracket is locked in its inserting position that is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, such that the base plate then can be slid on the inserting bar 10 without turning the moving component in the process. After the attachment, it suffices to release the U-shaped bracket by exerting lateral pressure e.g. on the attachment 17 of the moving component and to swivel this moving component into its operating position that is illustrated in FIG. 1. The arm 15 of the U-shaped bracket can be fixed below the edge of the inserting opening by screwing down the adjusting screw 22. 

1. Fastening device for an inserting element that can be inserted into an inserting opening of a base plate and lies with its free end rested on the surface of the base plate, the inserting element can be fastened to the base plate by at least one holding device that has a basic component that can be firmly affixed to the inserting element and a component that is hinged to this basic component and that underlaps the lower side of the base plate by applying a holding pressure by means of a screw, the hinged component is designed as a U-shaped bracket including upper and lower sidepieces that are penetrated by the screw and wherein the upper sidepiece is connected to the basic component by the screw, at least on one side of the lower sidepiece extends laterally an attachment that is designed as an arm underlapping the lower side of the base plate, wherein a bar of the U-shaped bracket of the hinged component of a said at least one holding device close to the upper side piece of the U-shaped bracket has an a guide end that is directed toward the swivel axis of the bar, the guide end can mesh with the flat locking grooves on the basic component that are arranged such that the holding device can be locked in its operating position and also in an inserting position that is swiveled by 90° from the operating position.
 2. Fastening device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guide end is the free end of a guide that is cut out from the bar, the guide stretches essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bar and enables the guide end to protrude elastically from said flat locking grooves by applying pressure for swiveling the bar.
 3. Fastening device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the hinged component that is designed as a U-shaped bracket is hinged to a flap shaped section that sticks out from the basic component, the flap-shaped section has a recess that is provided with a thread that works together with the thread of the screw.
 4. Fastening device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the basic component has a section that serves for fastening to the inserting component, the flap sticks out from the lower edge of this section, and the swiveling component is hinged to the flap. 